Free Point of No Return by N.R. Walker

undressed. I just fell onto the soft mattress, settling into his side of the bed. It smelled of him—his shampoo, his soap, his sweat. I breathed in deeply and smiled.
    With one last look at the alarm clock on the bedside table, I saw it was just after two in the afternoon. Knowing Kira wouldn't be home for at least another four hours, I closed my eyes.
    * * * *

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    Point of No Return
    NR Walker

    I was being watched. Even in my sleep, I could feel eyes on me. My skin prickled, my blood pounded in my ears. I was suddenly very aware I was not in my house…
    and then I remembered where I was.
    I opened my eyes and saw a silhouette in the
    doorway.
    A huge, well-defined figure with spiky black hair and dark, smiling eyes was standing in the doorway, watching me. A slow smile spread across his face as he walked toward the bed. "Do all cops know how to break and enter?"
    My voice was croaky. "Only the really good ones."
    He grinned. "I saw your shoes at the door," he said softly.
    I smiled. "Good detective work."
    "You're on my side of the bed," he said, and the bed dipped as he put his knee on it.
    "It smells like you," I told him.
    He moaned softly, leaning over to press his lips to my still-sleepy eyelids. I reached out my hand, finding his forearm. "Babe, I'm all sweaty," he said.
    "Mmm," I hummed. "Sweaty Kira's my favorite," I told him. He chuckled but didn't protest when I pulled him down beside me. "We can shower later."

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    He lay down, and I quickly settled into his side, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "I missed you."
    I gave him a squeeze. "I missed you, too. I'm sorry I've worked so much this week," I told him. "I'll make it up to you."
    "Hmm?" he hummed suggestively. "How do you propose to do that?"
    "This weekend, I'm all yours," I promised him. "I've done enough hours to give me a weekend off."
    "But that's three days away," he whined.
    "Then I'll make it up to you tonight as well," I conceded, looking up at him.
    He smiled and ran his fingers along my scruffy jaw.
    "You didn't shave."
    "I didn't go home."
    "You work too hard."
    Ignoring his comment about my job, I rubbed my jaw along his hand. "Don't you like my scruff?"
    "Mmm, I do. It suits you," he said with a smile.
    "But you still work too hard."
    I didn't think he'd let me get away with not
    answering. I laid my head back down on his bare chest.
    "I'm a cop. It's what I do."

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    I could feel his chest vibrate when he chuckled.
    "But this weekend, you're not a cop. You'll just be my boyfriend, to do with as I see fit."
    Lifting my head and resting it on my hand, I looked at him. "Now that sounds promising!"
    He laughed, but then his smile died. "Oh, shit… I'm supposed to be having dinner with my parents on Saturday night."
    "Oh."
    "You could come with me?" he sounded unsure and hopeful at the same time.
    "To your parents' house… for dinner?" I asked.
    "Would they mind?"
    He grinned. "They like you. Of course they won't mind." He got some far-off look in his eyes as though he was concocting some sort of plan. Then he flipped me over, leaned over me and grinned. "What time will you finish on Friday?"
    Suddenly a little scared by his excitement, I told him, "Well, we normally hit the gym around five-ish, I have my boxing lesson at five-thirty and then we hit the bar. Home by seven-ish." And then the loaded question,
    "Why? What are you planning?"

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    He laughed at me, but leaned down and pecked my lips with his. "If I can change dinner with Mom and Dad to Friday, then we can go camping. All weekend."
    Huh?
    Camping?
    C amping ?
    Was he kidding me?
    He thought my expression was hilarious.
    I tried to explain. "I don't do camping. I don't do tents in the wilderness with wild animals. Put me in a concrete jungle with drug dealers any day."
    But he only laughed louder.
    When he'd stopped laughing, he